Free Kiss and Confess (Love Unscripted Book 1) by Jane Lynne Daniels Page A

button. “Your time starts now.”
    His hand didn’t seem that steady, Charley noted. She refused to think about why.
    She pulled out the list she’d been handed as they stepped out of the van. While looking down at it, she sneaked a glance at Luke through her lashes. He turned away and headed back to the van, but their eyes had met, just for a second. A second she’d need to hold on to for a while. Possibly forever.
    She read the instructions at the top of the list to Marc.
    Charley and Marc, you are to perform/accomplish each of these items without using any money. You also can’t use your camera crew to help you accomplish the tasks, though they will record the day on film. The tasks don’t have to be performed in order, but remember, time is everything. Good luck! When you have completed your tasks, meet your producer in front of The Giant Bullwinkle Statue.
    “The Giant Bullwinkle Statue?” she puzzled.
    “That’s the last thing, so let’s not worry about it yet,” Marc said. “What’s on the list? We’ll need to get organized. Teamwork.” His tone was brisk, urgent. “Come on, we’ve got this.”
    Charley glanced at him in surprise. She wouldn’t have guessed he had a competitive side, but maybe it was a necessity when you grew up one of nine children.
    He pointed to the page in her hand. “Want me to do it?”
    “Oh. Sorry.” She turned back to the list. “Okay. We have five items. One, French kiss in front of a chateau. Two, perform a live comedy riff and get at least five people to laugh at your jokes.” She put a finger on the page. “There’s a note next to that one that says camera crew and each other do not count.” She looked at Marc. “Too bad. That would have helped. I don’t know about you, but I’m an amateur comedian at best.”
    She expected at least a chuckle. Instead, he pointed again. “Keep going.”
    “Three, get a stranger to dance for you. Four, jump on a train. Five, high-five Rocky.” Again, she looked up at Marc, shading her eyes from the morning sun. “I’m not sure I get all of this.”
    “We’ll figure it out.” He took the list from her and stared down at it, hand on his hip. Then he scanned their surroundings with a cool, appraising eye.
    “But Rocky? As in Balboa?”
    “No. Rocky and Bullwinkle are cartoon characters. From the sixties.”
    “How do you know this?”
    He rubbed the back of his neck, dipping his chin. “I’m sort of a nerd about old cartoons.”
    His embarrassment about it was cute. “Great. That will help us. I would have been looking for a completely different Rocky. A cartoon nerd. Interesting. I was a Sesame Street kid.”
    “Me too. I didn’t discover the old cartoons until I grew up.”
    Oh. Okay. Time to change the subject.
    “The Comedy Store is right here,” Charley offered. “Why don’t we start with that one, the comedy riff?” And put off the French kiss until Luke’s lips weren’t still imprinted on hers. Which might be never, come to think of it.
    “I’ll do it. You get people to be an audience while I think of what to say. We’ve got this.”
    He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation. And if he said “we’ve got this” one more time, she might have to shake some serious sense into him. “Did you play a lot of sports?” she asked. “Maybe start with that.”
    “Sports. Yeah.” He flicked his hand at her. “Go. We’re on the clock.”
    For an accountant, he was bossy. But he was right.
    Charley walked down the sidewalk, stopping the first person she saw—a woman dressed in black and wearing reflective sunglasses. “Excuse me,” she said politely, “I wonder if I could ask you a favor.”
    The woman held up her hand and said “no,” without breaking stride.
    Too much sunshine could affect people’s moods.
    Next, she approached an older man who looked like her Uncle Martin, gray-haired and in walking shorts that were belted below his round stomach. “Hi. Could I ask